Wanted to make ribs but nooooooo

robnybbq · March 2013

I saw that and it looked good. I just don't know how to cook I guess. Never can make chicken juicy period unless its Spatchcocked.

Saturday looks like another washout so I am looking at maybe after Easter for another try with the Egg. And that is not promising since little league starts. Maybe July 4th weekend I can fire it up.

In the mean time I need to work on healthy meals for cooking in the house. I got to learn how to cook and plan meals.

Eggcelsior · March 2013

robnybbq said:

I am banging my head on my desk.

I tried chicken breasts on the Egg and they came out like cardboard. Allot of people here told me to brine them in broth first - I did that and the same result so I gave up on chicken breasts.

Pork tenderloin took me almost two hours plus my lighting/up to temp issue - that is a 3 hour cook. Not time for that during the week.

2 hours? Tenderloin is a 20-30 minute cook for me. I go raised direct @ 400 dome until temp hits 140-145. Rest 5-10 minutes. Tada!

I have a MBGE and use firestarters. I get to temp(stabilized) with new lump in 10-15 minutes. I wait another 15 minutes to allow VOCs to burn off - VOCs start to "burn off" at 300 F. Not dome temp mind you, but at the actual charcoal surface. The charcoal doesn't even need to "burn" to eliminate VOC's. Most are already gone from the charcoal during the creation process. Wood has a higher amount which is why you need to wait until the "good smoke" appears. This is important for BBQ, not as much for higher heat cooks.

What temp is the chicken going to? Are you using rubs or other flavorings?

MrCookingNurse · March 2013

I think a thermometer will help you get juicier food and even juicier left overs.

thermapen

robnybbq · March 2013

I have a thermopen (dont trust after last weeks steaks came out bad). When cooking thin chicken using the thermopen it goes right through the other side - hard to get a real reading.

I also have a Maverick Et-732.

Eggcelsior · March 2013

robnybbq said:

I have a thermopen (dont trust after last weeks steaks came out bad). When cooking thin chicken using the thermopen it goes right through the other side - hard to get a real reading.

I also have a Maverick Et-732.

How were they bad? Go in at a more horizontal angle to the meat. More area to play with. The sensing probe is in the tip, so you don't need to go in very far.

robnybbq · March 2013

Cooked two 1 inch thick ribeyes. - Tried for medium and well done with a reverse sear. 400 dome raised direct for ~15 min - flipped for ~10 more then removed. Cranked up the Egg to 600 dome and cooked lower for 3 minutes each side. The medium (135) was red rare and the well done (163) was medium (pink). I poked them several times as well. Let them stand for 5 minutes. I had shut the Egg down once I pulled the steaks.

Now I just calibrated the Dome thermo 2 weeks ago and maybe that's bad as I did not use the maverick last time.

robnybbq · March 2013

Another note - The cooks during the summer were allot better than over the winter. Things that changed are no more gasket - a large gap around seal, colder temps. Dome thermo was off by ~ 50 degrees at last calibration (pot of boiling water). Dark out so its hard to see what's going on. None of these should matter that much.

500 · March 2013

michigan_jason said:

Pacuare said:

If your SWMBO stays at home, teach her how to use it. That way you can come home to ribs during the week. :-bd

The second rule of Eggin' is that you SWMBO does not touch the Egg!

What's the first rule of Egging?

500 · March 2013

@robnybbq, it took me quite awhile to get used to cooking on the Egg. I was used to a gas grill, but things cook differently on the Egg. Lots of research here about temp, technique, and tools to use helped a great deal. My wife does WW and she frequently substitutes spaghetti squash for pasta on spaghetti night, we've cut back on the carbs, and she buys lean ground beef, filet mignon instead of ribeyes, chicken breast instead of thighs, and so on. Cooking leaner cuts is trickier so it doesn't dry out, but it can be done.

nolaegghead · March 2013

this is comment 100

MrCookingNurse · March 2013

135 is not red rare, there is no way

163 is burnt not pink, again, no way

[101]

Eggcelsior · March 2013

robnybbq said:

Cooked two 1 inch thick ribeyes. - Tried for medium and well done with a reverse sear. 400 dome raised direct for ~15 min - flipped for ~10 more then removed. Cranked up the Egg to 600 dome and cooked lower for 3 minutes each side. The medium (135) was red rare and the well done (163) was medium (pink). I poked them several times as well. Let them stand for 5 minutes. I had shut the Egg down once I pulled the steaks.

Now I just calibrated the Dome thermo 2 weeks ago and maybe that's bad as I did not use the maverick last time.

I'd need to see some pics for verification. It's not that I don't believe you, just some people's definitions can differ. Medium can have redness in the center. Well-done can still have pink. It depends on where you are in the temp range and the meat you are cooking.

[102]

MrCookingNurse · March 2013

when boiling water, did you also stick your thermapen in it? should have been around 212. with the thermapen you should should be able to smash a chicken breast out of the park. i pull around 155, 160 is FDA or USDA whatever ya call it

[103]

robnybbq · March 2013

How can I test the dome thermo above 212? How can I make sure that 350 is correct?

MrCookingNurse · March 2013

Well easy, but why? If its 212 its 600 more than likely.

[105]

robnybbq · March 2013

When and if I get a 3 hour window I will try and use the Egg again and log all numbers/observations. Probably wont be until May maybe - Memorial Day weekend. Sad but no time to use it.

Should I unload the lump out of the Egg for the lay up? Will it get moist with humidity sitting in the Egg? The Egg is out in the open all the time.

robnybbq · March 2013

500 said:

@robnybbq, it took me quite awhile to get used to cooking on the Egg. I was used to a gas grill, but things cook differently on the Egg. Lots of research here about temp, technique, and tools to use helped a great deal. My wife does WW and she frequently substitutes spaghetti squash for pasta on spaghetti night, we've cut back on the carbs, and she buys lean ground beef, filet mignon instead of ribeyes, chicken breast instead of thighs, and so on. Cooking leaner cuts is trickier so it doesn't dry out, but it can be done.

This is what I am looking to learn how to do. Forget the Egg - just in general on the stove or oven.

fishlessman · March 2013

you sure are battling this egg

) if you dont use it enough it picks up moisture and takes longer to light, especially in the winter up north. as for a rib cook, you can speed them up, or slow them down, ive done plenty were ive just put them on in the morning before work and just left for 8 or 9 hours and came home to ribs. ive done the same with butt, lit it in the night before bed, tossed the butt in the egg in the morning before my shower and had it done for dinner. im not using a fan device, just cooking while im not there. im thinking the same is possible with kids schedules on some of these cooks. for short cooks plan on using smaller amounts of lump, dont fill it up with lump, it will stay drier and light easier if your lump is dry and you use a minamalist approach with it. forget indirect cooking, its slower, use a raised grid and grill direct when you want fast. light with a weedburner, mapp is slower. dont fight the egg

)

robnybbq · March 2013

Thanks - I almost always reload the Egg before each cook - mix the old with the new. Maybe this is the problem with the VOC's to burn off taking so long every time?

8 to 9 hours for Ribs - was there any meat left? Not into letting it go when I am not home all day. Maybe one day but not yet.

I store the lump in my shed and the ready to use lump in one of those Kingsford charcoal bins. Is this causing the Lump to be too damp to use and why it takes so long to get up to temp?

Yes I have been battling this and my health for a long time. I just want to get it right.

Fred19Flintstone · March 2013

@robnybbq - Reading this thread make me think you suffer from analysis paralisis. I picture you dwelling on your Egg difficulties so much that you're afraid to try anything because you want to avoid failure. My best advice is to take a deep breath and relax. For me, Egging is an enjoyable learning experience. It's a stress reliever, not a stress maker. Have fun with it. Start simple and move on from there. Don't be afraid to fail. While failing is disappointing, try to find the humor in it and take solace that failure is a great teacher. Learn from it and move on. Once you gain a little confidence, experiment a little outside your comfort zone. That's the most fun for me. Most of all, have fun! I hope this helps.

robnybbq · March 2013

Fred - You are right on. Its awesome when it all comes out right or close to good. Embarrassing when it fails - and allot lately have been not so good.

It was a stress reliever in the summer when I had more time to sit outside while cooking something and getting the occasional aroma when then wind changed and enjoying a few cocktails in the process. The winter sucks.

I think I just need more time to do things. An hour here and there is not enough to relax anymore - not just egging - everything. I just do not have time for 3 hour cooks anymore.

I may look for a Small Egg and maybe that will enable me to use it faster during the week and on the weekends here and there and will put the Large away for a while and save it for big overnight cooks down the road. This will also result in more Eggcessories that I have no where to store but we'll see.

fishlessman · March 2013

my small takes longer to light than the large, just so you know

Fred19Flintstone · March 2013

fishlessman said:
my small takes longer to light than the large, just so you know

I don't find that the case with me. I have High-Q grates in all mine and they all light and heat up pretty fast.

fishlessman · March 2013

Fred19Flintstone said:

my small takes longer to light than the large, just so you know
I don't find that the case with me. I have High-Q grates in all mine and they all light and heat up pretty fast.

i should probably make a better grate for mine but its always been slow to light, more than twice as long as my large. it also maxes out in temp at around 750, it wont get hotter than that and im talking an hour to get it there. i have heard others with smalls complain about it as well, maybe the high q is the answer with the small.

robnybbq · March 2013

That's right. I need the HighQ as well.Then I will need the Woo for raising the grate - Egging is not cheap.

Let me ask this - If I wanted to cook burgers or chicken breasts (eek) (~15 minute cook time I am guessing total and not including ramp up) on the Egg quickly on Saturday - How much fresh lump would you put in the large? 4 inches deep as an estimate? Or load it all up to the fire ring (like I normally do) and cook then snuff it out for the next cook if it goes out fast enough (bad dome alignment until I can change the gasket)?

fishlessman · March 2013

half a firebox is over enough for that cook, you dont want big pieces of lump though because they dont burn right when theres not alot.

Charlie tuna · March 2013

I load my egg basically the same on every cook? Maybe I'm wasting lump?

jlsm · March 2013

A couple of things:

For 300 and above, try hitting three places with a torch for 30 seconds each. Leave the bottom wide open and the lid open for about 7 minutes. Close the lid and check to see where you are. In five minutes you should be close to 350, 400. Close down the vent and wheel.

At this point, about 10 minutes in, I always have clean smoke. It might be from the longer lighting time or keeping the lid off for a bit.

(I came to this method through trial and error after I found myself waiting up to 30 minutes for it to come to temp. I think the open lid is the key.)

About your dry food. Perhaps you're overcooking. One-inch burgers on the mini take me exactly three minutes a side for medium/medium rare. Boneless chicken thighs take 20 minutes. A pork loin takes about 40.

Leftovers. Some foods just don't heat well. I eat leftover steak over a salad. Leftover chicken I eat at room temp or warmed in a bag in simmering water. I nuke burgers at the minimum time, 30 seconds or so. Pulled pork gets the bag treatment or covered in the microwave. I usually do one cook a weekend just for protein to eat for lunch (and sometimes breakfast) during the week. (I don't mind eating the same things for days on end.)

r270ba · March 2013

@robnybbq first off I want to say that you and I are in the same situation with regards to time commitments and family. I would never choose the egg or anything over my family (not saying that is what you are doing). I LOVE to egg because of my FAMILY...I love for them to eat healthy, enjoy what we cook, and it gives me a reason for all of us to sit down at the table and eat as a family.

With regards to how long it takes you to cook on the egg...I am kinda at a loss. It shouldn't take you 3 hours to cook a pork tenderloin. I think you are being WAY too rigid in your egging process. I have an XL and I have never filled the lump to the fire ring. If you are doing that every time then no wonder it takes forever to light and burn off the white smokes. Next time try a MUCH smaller batch of lump (I would guess about enough to fill up a gallon pitcher) and see how much faster that lights and gets to temp.

Lastly with regards to planning for the week and eating around different 'pickiness'. My wife and I don't really battle that between the two of us but we do battle a little with what the kids will eat. I typically keep frozen peas, sugar snap peas, edamame, corn, and lima beans in the freezer for a very easy to cook veggie. Then, while I would like to say that I cook on the egg the majority of nights, I pan fry in olive oil quite a bit because it is healthy, quick, and easy (don't let the term 'fry' fool you...it is really saute). We cook chicken breasts/strips/nuggets juicy juicy, fish, stir fry, etc. in the pan. I cook on the egg as much as possible but sometimes it is not possible.

If I might say, you just need to take a deep breath, enjoy life, and don't sweat the small stuff. My wife and I had filets on Tuesday night (on the BGE) and I didn't start them until 9pm after the kids were in bed and the chores were done. I wasn't fretting over a 9pm cook because I was too busy enjoying my wife, kids, the soccer game my 4 year old lost, the fact that I have a roof over my head that requires me to have chores. After all the work was done, I poured myself a vodka tonic, my wife a glass of wine, fired up the egg, and had one of the best steaks that you can possibly eat...a BGE steak!

Oh and 1 more thing...you don't need a small. You don't need a High Q Grate (or whatever it is called). You don't need a wok spider thingamajig. I don't have any of the fancy stuff I my meals are EXCELLENT on the egg. It is the technique you need to perfect...not the accessories.

robnybbq · March 2013

Thanks all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did a cook last night, homemade burgers. Wow. Anyways. I put very little lump in. Maybe 2 inches deep (gallon). I used the Mapp torch in 3 places for 30 seconds each (instead of the 15 originally). What a difference. Saw flames on the lump right away. Yes I will admit it 300 dome in 10 minutes. 400 in anothe few. After he cook here was no lump left but good enough for ~45 min at 400. White smoke gone around 325.

The best was my daughter coming out saying the burger was great.

I am guessing loading the firebox was too much prevented the airflow for a quick fire. So if i am not doing an overnight cook then don't pack he lump in.

I learn better by watching over guessing. Just dont want waste more money throwin fiod out because "I" cooked it wrong. Coming from a gasser where you push a button to light and cook a few minutes later is allot different. The gasser has been used twice ( hot dogs/fries for kids). Since I got the egg last April.

Now to plan the next easy cook to get the hang of cooking again.

Thanks again all.

Wanted to make ribs but nooooooo

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